Makerere University portrays itself as a reservoir of the country’s intellectual elite with the obligation to champion social, political and economic change in society through professional extension services and influencing policy (Strategic Plan 2000/01-2006/07:24)

For the University to achieve the above stated function it is working hard to put in place the following:

  • Well-defined, structured and coordinated outreach programs and institutional policy that satisfy both the academic and development interests
  • Competent and reward systems that motivate and encourage development-oriented services in the University
  • Soliciting for financial resources from our development partners, the government and internally generated funds pool.

What would an effective University extension and Outreach look like?

  1. Makerere sees its Extension and Outreach function as an interface between research and training that would make a University relevant to societal needs or national development
  2. Extension and Outreach comprise of internships, consultancy, action research and short-term non-academic training programmes to a wide-range of clients
  3. Provide feedback for adaptation of curricula, learning approaches and research methodologies for relevance
  4. It is the space for joint learning and change for students, academic staff, community, university and its partners
  5. Highlights the critical areas for training, research and development interventions

Makerere within that context has registered success in a number of ways for instance:

  1. Improving community access to specialized competencies on a community basis
  2. Increasing and intensifying extension services
  3. Increasing Makerere University's involvement in influencing public policy (Makerere Institute of Social Research, Faculty of Agriculture (CAES), Faculty of Social Science (CHUSS), Institute of Public Health and other units)
  4. A number of units in the University, particularly those in the science based disciplines are engaged in extension and outreach (Technology, Medicine, Agriculture, etc)
  5. Many of the Outreach and extension services have clear objectives and serve a multiplicity of stakeholders for academic and non-academic purposes - beneficiaries include private sector, farmers, secondary schools, etc.
  6. Makerere participating in the improvement of community access to specialized competencies
  7. Mounted model villages - Arua and Rakai Districts
  8. Steps taken to strengthen internships in University academic programs - New institutional guidelines for internships (towards a field attachment policy)
  9. Innovations of various products have been achieved and taken to the community e.g. Local building materials, sanitary pads from local materials, paper making from the banana fibre etc.
  10. Ability to attract donor funds for our efforts - e.g. SIDA/SAREC, NUFU, Indian Cooperation, USAID . Uganda Gatsby Trust , the Rockefeller Foundation , Carnegie and others.